Max Holloway made UFC history in his return to the win column earlier this month.
When Holloway defeated Dustin Poirier at UFC 318, he became the first fighter to successfully defend the BMF belt.
‘Blessed’ was able to use his title-winning performance at UFC 300 as a ticket to challenge Ilia Topuria but it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to do the same after keeping hold of the belt.
While there are several names who could be in contention to face Holloway for the belt next time out, Nate Diaz, who chimed in during UFC 318, has other feelings on the matter.
Nate Diaz claims that Max Holloway is walking away with his BMF title
In 2019, the BMF title was created after Nate Diaz called out Jorge Masvidal following his successful return to the Octagon against Anthony Pettis at UFC 241.
The two men competed in the inaugural title fight that headlined UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden where ‘Gamebred’ was declared the winner due to a doctor stoppage.
It was an underwhelming end to the first BMF title fight, and clearly Diaz, who some believed was building into the matchup as it went on, doesn’t believe that he lost.
Since then, the belt has moved on to the lightweight division where Justin Gaethje claimed the vacant title following Masvidal’s retirement from MMA in April of 2023.
Welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena has argued that he’s the rightful BMF contender due to the lineal history of the belt, if you count the times that the holder has lost without putting the title up for grabs.
However, in a recent social media post, Diaz has claimed that the title belongs to him, having shared an image of Max Holloway with the belt wrapped around his shoulder alongside the following caption.
“This guy cool but he keeps wearing my belt.”
Dan Hooker ruled himself out of the running for a BMF title fight next
Despite believing that it’s the BMF title fight that makes the most sense, Dan Hooker doesn’t think that this opportunity will be next for him.
‘The Hangman’ admitted in a recent interview with Submission Radio that having not fought since August of 2024, he probably needs to secure a win before he’s being lined up for a BMF or lightweight title shot.
“So I feel like, and speaking with the UFC, [I’m] gonna need to get another [fight] in and take one of these big name guys out and one of these high rank guys out before you’re able to step into a big pay-per-view fight like that.”
Many fans pointed to a rematch between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira as a good step for both men which would also produce an exciting BMF title fight.